be careful what you pray for

We were talking about I don’t even know what, but it came out that I had picked on this one boy for a whole school year everyday for mostly no reason at all. I would act like I wanted to shake hands just as a means to get within striking distance of him. I was telling Jami that I couldn’t even remember his name; however, I think it was Phil. Looking back and seeing bits and pieces of the way I used to be and act I felt kind of sick to my stomach. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me I had to do something about it.

Well I prayed and prayed about it (for days and days). I told God that I needed to ask for forgiveness (knowing that I hadn’t see this guy for 25 years) I thought that would put my mind at ease. About two weeks later we were all at Walmart on south 27th street. As I was walking down the main aisle I walked past this guy, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I thought to myself, “God no way. It couldn’t be. God your funny.”

So I swallowed all of my pride stopped and turned around. It went something like this, “Excuse me sir you look very familiar to me. I don’t recall your name…” But just then he said to me, “You’re John Kastner right?” I said, “Yes,” and then “I don’t know if you remember any of our time in school, but it’s been on my heart for about a mouth now. I don't where you are in your walk with God, but I’ve been praying that God would bring us together for this reason – I need to ask for your forgiveness. The way I treated you was sinful. Will you please forgive me?” He said to me, “Boys will be boys.” I said, “That maybe true, but I was very out of line. Will you please forgive me? I am truly sorry for what I did, and for how I acted. He said, “Don’t worry about it.” I told him that God had laid this on my heart and that don’t worry was not helping me. I needed to know that I was forgiven. He told me yes I was forgiven. It was the strength of God alone that put me on my knees, that humbled me to the point of tears when asking him for forgiveness. We talked for a few minutes, and he went left and I went right, and I have not seen him again. So if you have any doubts about the power of pray I can tell you only one thing